Barbara Ann Posey Jones, of Atlanta, Georgia, a distinguished educator, economist and activist whose participation in the Oklahoma City sit-ins helped in the desegregation of many public establishments across the country.
Toby Keith, singer, songwriter, entertainer and successful businessman whose illustrious music career included more than 10 billion streams and 44 million albums sold and whose generosity enhanced the university and state of Oklahoma for decades, was honored posthumously and represented by his daughter, Krystal Keith.
Tom E. Love, founder of Love’s Travel Stops whose generous support helped strengthen OU’s academic excellence through his longtime support of the university and entrepreneurship initiatives in the Michael F. Price College of Business, was honored posthumously and represented by his son, Greg Love.
David Proctor, of Dallas, Texas, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient for his work on the Apollo 11 and Apollo 13 spacecraft missions and whose many significant contributions helped create countless opportunities for students to pursue an education.
Major General Theresa C. Carter (USAF, Retired), DBA, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, the first female civil engineering officer promoted to brigadier general and to serve as the Air Force Civil Engineer, the career field’s highest-ranking officer.
Ronnie K. Irani of Oklahoma City, an entrepreneur and a geoscience enthusiast whose 43 years in the energy industry led to many commercial developments in oil and gas.
Randall Stephenson, former chairman and chief executive officer of AT&T Inc. and 2012 honorary degree recipient, was the 2023 Commencement speaker.
James J. Mulva of De Pere, Wisconsin, a successful businessman and retired naval officer whose generosity has enhanced one of OU’s most treasured landmarks and will safeguard the rich tradition of the university’s ROTC programs.
R. Lynn Riggs, an internationally recognized Cherokee poet, playwright, screenwriter and drama theorist whose work depicted both the allure and tragedy of pioneer life, who will be honored posthumously. Honorary degree accepted by Riggs' family.
Susan Stroman of New York City, a five-time Tony Award-wining director and critically acclaimed choreographer who has helped elevate OU musical theatre to even higher national stature.
J.C. Watts Jr. of Oklahoma City, former OU quarterback who made history by becoming the first African American elected to a statewide office in Oklahoma and the state’s first Black United States Representative.
David Brooks of Washington, D.C., a bestselling author, New York Times columnist and the 2022 Commencement speaker.
Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe of Gulu, Uganda, a Catholic nun who has dedicated her life to improving the lives of women and girls in east Africa.
William G. Paul of Oklahoma City, a towering leader in the law who, as president of the American Bar Association from 1999 to 2000, advocated for increased diversity in the legal profession.
Christopher C. Gibbs
Kenneth H. Cooper
Leslie Simcox Hudson
Cathey Simmons Humphreys
Soledad O’Brien
Gregg A. Wadley
Catherine F. Bishop
Dee Dee Stuart
Jon R. Stuart
Philip O. Geier
Vicki Miles-LaGrange
Robert H. Henry
Nancy Mergler
Mohammad Farzaneh
Jalal Farzaneh
M. Dewayne Andrews
The Spring 2016 commencement was cancelled due to the weather, so the recipients were honored in 2017.
James T. Bialac
Carol Jean Robinson Burr
Elizabeth Garrett
Chun Chia Lin
Reggie N. Whitten
Bill Anoatubby
Gary A. England
Wendy Kopp
Jesus E. Medina
Bill Saxon
Tom W. Boyd
Susan E. Brackett
Jan Marie Crawford
The Honorable Ralph G. Thompson
Fareed Zakaria
Jim Gallogly
William J. Ross
Anthony Shadid (awarded posthumously)
Ruth J. Simmons
Randall L. Stephenson
Timothy Clare Headington
George Henderson
Clifford Hudson
The Rev. Dr. Serene Jones
Robert M. Gates
Elizabeth Warren Blankenship
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Michael S. Samis
Fred W. Smith
Lissa Noel Wagner
Harold Hamm
Walter H. Helmerich III
David McCullough
Edward Joseph Perkins
William S. Cohen
Jon Rex Jones
Sandra L. O’Brien
Lee Allan Smith
Peggy Clark Stephenson
Michael Bloomberg
James C. Day
Josephine Freede
Steven E. Moore
Mary D. Nichols
Horace Kellogg “Tony” Calvert
Katie Couric
William J. Crowe Jr.
Marilyn Horne
Cyril “Cy” Wagner Jr.
G. T. Blankenship
Peggy V. Helmerich
John S. McCain
Walter Neustadt, Jr.
Tom Brokaw
William Howard Lester
N. Scott Momaday
Rose A. Sharp
Jan Taylor Garrett
Prentice Gautt
Charles Stephenson
George Tenet
Betty Ferrell
John Nichols
Curtis W. Mewbourne
Tim Russert
Prince El Hassan bin Talal
Bill Comfort
Marian Wright Edelman
Therese Gottschalk
Jean G. Gumerson
Charles Schusterman
Yvonne Chouteau Terekhov
Desmond Tutu
Jack Valenti
A. Max Weitzenhoffer
Thurman J. White
Margaret Thatcher
Hannah D. Atkins
Archie W. Dunham
Sam Nunn
H. E. “Gene” Rainbolt
Jimmie Lewis Franklin
Mary Frates
Harold Powell
Michael F. Price
Donna Shirley
George Bush
Paul F. Sharp
Edith Gaylord Harper
Mary Eddy Jones
Wilma Mankiller
Jim Lehrer
Barney Kessel
Katsushige Mita
Gloria R. Smith
Henry Zarrow
James Garner
Dr. Neal Lane
J. R. Morris
Mary Jane Noble
W. Richard West, Jr.
Lt. General Thomas P. Stafford
John Hope Franklin
Roscoe R. Robinson
Fred E. Brown
Allan C. Houser
Rigoberta Menchu Tum
L. G. Rawl
Charles A. Rockwood
Julian J. Rothbaum
W. French Anderson, M.D.
W. R. Howell
Nobutoshi Kihara
H. Ross Perot
Stanton L. Young
Carl B. Albert
George Lynn Cross
Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher
Helen Robson Walton
